Production of pure stereoisomers of tricyclo[5.2.1.0 2.6]-dec-9-yl-xanthogenate and medicaments therefrom

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to pharmaceutical formulations containing exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0 2.6 ]-dec-9-yl-xanthogenate, drugs containing exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0 2.6 ]-dec-9-yl-xanthogenate as active ingredient for the treatment of genital herpes, labial herpes, AIDS, tumors or autoimmune diseases, and methods for the production of pure stereoisomers of tricyclo[5.2.1.0 2.6 ]-decan-9-ol and tricyclo[5.2.1.0 2.6 ]-dec-9-yl-xanthogenate.

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical formulations containing exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)]-dec-9-yl-xanthogenate, drugs containing exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)]-dec-9-yl-xanthogenate as active ingredient for the treatment of genital herpes, labial herpes, AIDS, tumors or autoimmune diseases, and methods for the production of pure stereoisomers of tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)]-decan-9-ol and tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)]-dec-9-yl-xanthogenate.

The battle against viral diseases is a considerable challenge since viruses make use of the body's inherent mechanisms for their proliferation. Moreover, by means of rapid mutation viruses can render initially efficacious therapeutic agents ineffective after very short times. Consequently, there is a constant need for new and more efficacious drugs against viral diseases.

Printed patent specification, U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,037, describes xanthogen derivatives corresponding to general formula I:

whereby R₁ corresponds to a possibly substituted aryl or alkyl residue, as well as the use thereof as antiviral agents. Cyclododecyl, dodecyl, benzyl, cyclohexyl, adamantyl, tricyclo[5,2,1,0^(2.6)]-decyl, 4-isobornylcyclohexyl, and bicyclo[2,2,1^(1.4)]-heptyl are disclosed as examples of R₁.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,869 describes the same compounds as U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,037 for use as antitumor agents.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,435 describes the use of ionic detergents as effect-enhancing adjuvants for xanthogen derivatives corresponding to formula I.

WO 96/14841 discloses the incorporation of xanthogenates corresponding to formula I and of adjuvants into lipid- or steroid-based carrier substances. The incorporation into a carrier substance is designed to improve the tolerability of the agents.

DE 101 17 728, which had not been the subject of prior publication, discloses pharmaceutical formulations containing a xanthogenate, optionally an activity-enhancing adjuvant, and an emulsifying agent that reduces the irritant effect of xanthogenate and activity-enhancing adjuvant. With regard to its substance, the emulsifying agent corresponds to the carrier substance named in WO 96/14841. However, in contrast to WO 96/14841, active ingredient and emulsifying agent are only being mixed according to DE 101 17 728. The incorporation of the active ingredient into the carrier is dispensable which simplifies the method considerably.

In all of these publications, tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate is included amongst the preferred compounds. Tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate can be present in the form of four different isomers: exo/exo, exo/endo, endo/exo, and endo/endo. The publications cited above concerned mixtures of isomers that were not defined to any detail. Printed patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,037 describes both exo- and endo isomers of bicyclo[2,2,1^(1,4)]-heptyl xanthogenate and their antiviral effect is being reported to be identical.

It was now surprisingly found that isomerically pure tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate possesses considerably improved antiviral efficacy as compared to the mixture of isomers described according to the state-of-the-art. The pure exo/exo isomer shows approx. 4-10-fold stronger antiviral effect than the mixture containing 83% exo/exo isomer and 17% of the exo/endo, endo/exo, and endo/endo isomers. This mixture is obtained upon conversion of commercially available tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol with alkali metal and CS₂ in inert solvents.

Therefore, the present invention relates to pharmaceutical formulations and drugs made therefrom containing pure exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate as active ingredient. The drugs according to the invention are suitable for the treatment of viral, tumor, and autoimmune diseases. The term “pure isomer” as used hereinafter shall refer to compounds containing in addition to the named isomer no more than 5%, preferably no more than 1% and in particular less than 0.1%, of the other possible isomers.

It was surprisingly found that the exo/exo, exo/endo, endo/exo, and endo/endo isomers of tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol can be separated by fractional distillation and the pure isomers are maintained during conversion to the xanthogenates.

Therefore, the invention also relates to the production of pure isomers of tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol and tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate.

In addition to the active ingredient, the drugs according to the invention can also contain common carrier substances and excipients. Other active ingredients can be contained therein as well provided they do not adversely affect the effect or the stability of the xanthogenate according to the invention.

In particular, the adjuvants known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,435, preferably ionic detergents, and particularly preferably a fatty acid with 6-19 carbon atoms or the salt thereof, are added. The potassium salts of decanoic, undecanoic or lauric acid are particularly preferred. The activity-enhancing adjuvant can also be a sulfate with an aliphatic residue of 8-18 carbon atoms. Sodium lauric acid sulfate is particularly preferred. Moreover, the adjuvant can be deoxycholic acid or a pharmaceutically tolerable salt thereof or a phosphonic acid.

Moreover, active ingredient and adjuvant, if any, can be incorporated into lipid- or steroid-based carrier substances according to WO 96/14841, in particular into a steroid such as cholesterol, cholestanol, cholanic acid, chondrillasterol, and α, β, γ sisterol. In particular, active ingredient and adjuvant, if any, are mixed with the carrier substance according to DE 101 17 728. Cholesterol is particularly preferred. Phospholipids are also suitable carrier substances, in particular phosphatidylcholine, phosphafidylserine, phosphatidylinositol or stearylamine.

Particularly preferred is a formulation containing exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate and the Na or K salt of decanoic acid as the activity-enhancing adjuvant, and cholesterol. In particular, one part xanthogenate is used with one part potassium salt of decanoic acid and 4 parts cholesterol.

Another preferred formulation contains exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate, phosphatidylcholine, and the Na or K salt of decanoic acid as the activity-enhancing adjuvant. In particular, one part xanthogenate is used with one part decanoic acid and 4 parts phosphatidylcholine.

The drugs according to the invention can be formulated in the form of oral, parenteral, and topical forms of administration, and as solutions for injection. Topical application in the form of ointments is preferred whereby a lipophilic substance is used as the ointment base. Preferably, Vaseline is used as the ointment base.

The dosage depends on the severity and course of the disease, whereby the higher efficacy of the isomerically pure xanthogenate according to the invention allows the dose to be reduced as compared to the administration of the mixture of isomers. Typically, ointments containing concentrations of 0.5 to 10%, in particular 1 to 5%, xanthogenate are applied several times daily to the skin area to be treated.

The following examples further illustrate the invention, though without restricting the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1 Production of Exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol

A commercially available mixture of tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol isomers was distilled in a vacuum (10⁻⁴ torr) at 49° C. The first fraction collected was the pure exo/exo isomer. The isomers can be identified in the NMR spectrum. FIG. 1 shows a part of the ¹H-NMR spectrum of the first fraction. The spectrum was recorded in CDCl₃ solution with a Bruker DRX 250 spectrometer at 250 MHz using CHCl₃ as the standard. It is evident that the exo/exo isomer shows a double peak between 3.7 and 3.8 ppm. FIG. 2 shows the corresponding spectrum of the mixture of isomers. The other isomers show peaks at approx. 4.0 ppm and between 4.1 and 4.3 ppm.

EXAMPLE 2 Production of Exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate

A total of 457 g (approx. 3 mol) exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol, added in several aliquots, were mixed with a total of 19.55 g potassium (after removal of the surface crust) by stirring at 150 to 160° C. in a protective gas atmosphere (nitrogen). The mixture was maintained at this temperature until all metal was converted. Subsequently, the excess of the alcohol was removed by distillation in a vacuum. The alcoholate was dried in a vacuum and then dissolved in 500 ml tetrahydrofuran. Under cooling, 31 ml (0.5 mol) CS₂ in 150 ml ether were added in the form of separate aliquots. The mixture was stirred for 1 h at 40° C. The xanthogenate was precipitated by adding 1 l anhydrous ether, collected by suction filtration, and thoroughly rinsed with ether on the filter. After recrystallization from ethanol, 104 g (78% of theoretical yield) fine yellow needles were obtained. The purity was demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy.

EXAMPLE 3

The inhibition of the proliferation of Herpes by exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate was determined by measuring the cytopathogenic effect. For this purpose, monkey kidneys cells (Rita strain) were seeded on Linbro plates. After 24 hours, 50 plaque-forming units of Herpes simplex virus 1 were added to each culture. After allowing for adsorption for one hour, fresh culture medium adjusted to pH 6.8 was added. Four cultures each were treated either with the pure exo/exo isomer or a mixture of isomers containing 83% of the exo/exo isomer using the following concentrations: 0, 5, 10, 15 or 20 μg/ml. The cultures were analyzed by microscopy after 6 days. The results are shown in FIG. 3. Untreated cultures were completely lysed as a result of virus proliferation (cytopathogenic effect). All cultures treated with the exo/exo isomer showed no evidence of a cytopathogenic effect. This means that proliferation of the virus was completely suppressed even at the concentration of 5 μg/ml. The mixture of isomers showed this effect only at a concentration of 20 μg/ml.

EXAMPLE 4

The inhibition of the proliferation of Herpes by exo/exotricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate was determined by measuring viral proliferation. For this purpose, monkey kidneys cells (Rita strain) were seeded on Linbro plates. After 24 hours, 100 plaque-forming units of Herpes simplex virus 1 were added to each culture. After allowing for adsorption for one hour, fresh culture medium adjusted to pH 6.8 was added. Four cultures each were treated either with the pure exo/exo isomer or a mixture of isomers containing 83% of the exo/exo isomer using the following concentrations: 0, 5, 10 or 15 μg/ml. The virus concentrations in the supernatants of the cultures were determined after four days by means of plaque assays. The means for each concentration were calculated and entered in a dose-response curve as shown in FIG. 4. The curves were used to determine the concentration at which viral proliferation was inhibited by 50% (IC50). An IC50 of 0.6 μg/ml was found for the exo/exo isomer. The IC50 of the mixture of isomers was found to be 7.6. This means that the pure exo/exo isomer effected a 50% reduction of viral proliferation at a more than 10-fold lower concentration as compared to the mixture of isomers. 

1. Pharmaceutical formulation containing a xanthogenate corresponding to formula I

wherein R₁ corresponds to tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)]-decyl, and R₂ corresponds to a metal atom; a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, alkoxy, amino or ammonium group; or halogen, wherein the xanthogenate is a stereoisomerically pure exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)]-dec-9yl-xanthogenate.
 2. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 1, wherein R₂ is a sodium or potassium atom or a dimethylglycylester or methylester group.
 3. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 1, further comprising a steroid or a phospholipid to reduce the irritant effect of the xanthogenate.
 4. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 3, wherein the steroid or phospholipid is selected from the group consisting of cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine.
 5. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 3, comprising 1-10 parts, steroid or phospholipid per one part xanthogenate.
 6. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 1, further comprising an ionic detergent, as an adjuvant to enhance the activity of the xanthogenate.
 7. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 1, further comprising deoxycholic acid or a pharmaceutically tolerable salt thereof as adjuvant to enhance the activity of the xanthogenate.
 8. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 1, further comprising a phosphonic acid as adjuvant to enhance the activity of the xanthogenate.
 9. Method for the production of pure stereoisomers of tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol, comprising subjecting a mixture of stereoisomers to fractional distillation under reduced pressure.
 10. Method for the production of pure stereoisomers of tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenates, comprising the steps of: reacting an isomerically pure tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] decan-9-ol with an alkali metal or metal hydride to generate the alcoholate, dissolving the alcoholate in an inert solvent, and adding CS₂ to form the xanthogenate.
 11. Drug for the treatment of genital herpes, labial herpes, AIDS, tumors or autoimmune diseases, comprising a pharmaceutical formulation according to claims 1 as active ingredient.
 12. Drug according to claim 11, wherein the drug is formulated as an ointment or cream.
 13. Use of stereoisomerically pure exo/exo-tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2.6)] dec-9-yl-xanthogenate for the manufacture of drugs for the treatment of genital herpes, labial herpes, AIDS, tumors or autoimmune diseases.
 14. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 3, comprising 2 to 4 parts steroid or phospholipid per one part xanthogenate.
 15. Pharmaceutical formulation according to claim 6, wherein the ionic detergent is a fatty acid with 6 to 19 carbon atoms or an alkyl sulfate with 8 to 18 carbon atoms.
 16. Method for the treatment of genital herpes, labial herpes, AIDS, tumors, or autoimmune diseases comprising administering the pharmaceutical formulation of claim 1 to a patient in need thereof. 